Familial Reflections
by professoropinionman
Summary: No one ever expected him to be the world's greatest father. But no one expected him to be as awful as he was either.
1. Gerard

All things considered, it was probably his fault. When his former master had ascended to his position, it was necessary for the three aspects of his power to separate from him, and take on their own form. Being the Hollow aspect of his power, he had always considered it ironic that he took the form of his former master's "heart". Yet it was only when his Hollow powers had separated from him that his former master truly became Hollow. Perhaps it was the separation, perhaps it was the stresses of his new station, perhaps there had always been something twisted deep within him (he could only hope that it was not the last one). He became more and more twisted, abusing his station for his own ends. He should have insisted on reuniting with his former master - maybe it would have made a difference. But he didn't, and his former master's downward spiral into insanity continued.

It was no surprise that the rebellions began. Yet it was not enough, the rebels were too dispersed, and had no effect on how his former master abused his power.

Then, he met the woman. She was a peasant of no renown or infamy, and yet he chose her to be his queen. Many suspected that it was simple lust, and in the beginning it likely was, yet over time she seemed to soften him. He became kinder, as she showed him how the lowborn and the weak existed, showed him their was more to the world than power. For a time, he was hopeful that his former master could be reformed, that the rebels could be convinced to lay down their arms, that the kingdom could be restored.

Then came the pregnancy.

She had no great amount of reiatsu. He was the Soul King. The fact that she managed to carry the child to term was nothing less than the greatest miracle that had ever occurred in the Soul Society.

Her death shattered him. He reverted to his old ways, worse than before. When he saw that his son was a cripple, he cast him aside, hating him, claiming that he killed the love of his life. With his father unwilling to care for him, Gerard found himself stepping in. He doted on the boy, doing his best to take care of him. When the boy showed his true power, Gerard helped him hone it, taking pride in how the boy used his power to save himself and others. The young prince quickly gained friends and disciples, with many referring to him as a god. Yet this was not enough for the prince, he continued to strive for his father's approval.

The day that the rebels set siege to the Seireitei, the shinigami and quincy quickly found themselves overwhelmed. With the city in flames, and the leaders scattered, the rebel leader ascended to the royal dimension, intent on striking down the Soul King.

When the rebel arrived, only the young prince stood to oppose him. The young prince never chose to speak of what happened next, and all that is known are observations and guesses. They battled at the gate of the royal palace, the force of their reiatsu alone tearing apart the royal dimension. The young prince fought valiantly, yet in the end, the rebel proved to be too powerful, and he forced the young prince to use his then ultimate technique: the Letzt Stil. The young prince tore apart the remainder of the battlefield, and unleashed all of his fury onto the rebel. By the time the Royal Guard managed to return to the Royal Dimension, all that remained of the battle was the powerless, crippled form of the young prince, and the rebel's blade.

Even though the young prince had saved his father, he still found himself rejected. Finally, the young prince had been pushed too far. Conspiring with his caretaker, his tutor, and his closest friends, he planned his escape from the Royal Palace, and then his own rebellion.

And yet, despite everything he had been through, the young prince did not lose sight of kindness. Having taken the name given to him by his followers, the young prince, now Yhwach, sought to use his powers to bless others, and allow them to achieve feats that they could not previously imagine. Using his powers, he finally freed Gerard from his former master's yoke, and blessed him, curing the ache that was brought on by Gerard's hollow nature. This was why, now, over a thousand years later, Gerard continued to follow him; to provide the boy he considered to be his son with guidance, and to see to it that the boy would dethrone his father, and bring his blessings to all of creation.


	2. Pernida

He was many things: Cold, Calculating, Demanding, Proud. But not heartless. Thus, when the being then known as Hāto came to him, asking him to tutor the young prince, and give him the education that his father would not, the being then known as Hidarhagi could not bring himself to say no. While he was initially concerned with how well the young prince would be able to learn given his condition, he quickly found himself harboring a quiet pride in the young prince, both for his accomplishments and for how he pushed himself. As the quincy aspect of his former master, he was delighted when the young prince took to quincy techniques like a duck takes to water. He also found much to admire in the young prince's desire to impart quincy powers to those who could not defend themselves.

However, he did find himself disappointed when the young prince could not bring himself to see how twisted his father was, and instead sought to impress him. The man had shown the young prince nothing but contempt his entire life; as far as the being formerly known as Hidarhagi was concerned, the being formerly known as Hāto was the young prince's father. Yet the young prince continued to be irrational, and continued to try to impress a man who wanted nothing to do with him.

Despite this, it broke his heart when the young prince sacrificed everything to defeat the rebel who invaded the royal dimension, only to find that his father still rejected him. Thus, when the former Hāto and the young prince came to him, suggesting the idea of escape, he did not have to think on it even for a moment. The young prince was finally accepting the logical course of action.

Now, over a thousand years later, the being now known as Pernida continues to tutor the young prince, now Yhwach. His hour finally at hand, he will strike down his cruel father, destroy the unjust world that man created, and bless all with the gift of quincy powers. And throughout all of this, Pernida would be at his side. After all, every good king needs a good adviser.


	3. Yhwach

Yhwach continued to pour over the plans for the invasion of the Seireitei as his officers moved and organized around him. His hour was nearly at hand. He would strike at the Seireitei, and destroy the Shinigami and their false god. With their fall, he would bring prosperity to the Soul Society and to the World of the Living. No longer would the greed and hatred of his father rule the lives of so many souls. His father. He was ashamed when he thought about the amount of time he wasted trying to impress the man, and grew angry when he thought back to how he protected him, only to be rejected. He should have stepped aside, and let the rebel kill his father. No matter, he would finish the rebel's mission for him, and destroy him.

Turning away from the plans to invade the Seireitei, Yhwach found his eyes resting on the list of special war powers. Hyōsube Ichibē, Urahara Kisuke, Zaraki Kenpachi, Aizen Sōsuke, and Kurosaki Ichigo. Hyōsube and Urahara were likely lost causes (and, if he was being honest with himself, he would rather destroy Hyōsube than work with him), and would need to be eliminated. Zaraki revelled in bloodshed, so it might be possible to persuade him to join his cause, unpleasant as the thought was. Aizen might be able to be persuaded, given his own hatred of the Soul Society. And then there was Kurosaki Ichigo...

Yhwach could only hope that when Kurosaki Ichigo learned of his quincy heritage, and was exposed to the sins of the Soul Society, he would join the Vandenreich. The guaranteed safety and prosperity of his sisters would no doubt help. As Yhwach thought more about it, he also found himself entertaining the idea of providing safety for Kurosaki Isshin. Yes, the man was a shinigami, but as long as his powers were sealed or destroyed, he could be kept safely in the Vandenreich. Kurosaki Ichigo would also be happy to know that none of his family was in danger. As much as the two argued, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Isshin did care for eachother. Yes, Yhwach would spare Kurosaki Isshin too. The man's children loved him, even if they had odd ways of showing it, and he loved them. Yhwach would not take that love away from them.


	4. Mimihagi

To the peoples of the Rukongai, he was a god of stagnation, of stasis. He tried not to think about it. Whenever he did, he always ended up thinking about the young prince, and how he failed to do anything to help him.

In a way, they were all to blame. Hāto should have forced the Soul King to see that what he was doing was wrong, should have forced him to find his heart again. Hidarhagi should have forced the Soul King to use logic, to see that the prince did not kill his mother, that if anything her bearing the child of such a powerful being is what killed her, and that only the Soul King, if anyone, was to blame. It would have been cruel, but not as cruel as what the prince was forced to endure. And he himself should have done something. Perhaps he should have taken the prince to the Seireitei, and had him raised there. The prince had followers there, he would have been well cared for. Instead, he did nothing. When the prince sacrificed his powers to defeat the rebel who had invaded the royal dimension, and when he was subsequently rejected by his father, he did nothing. When Hāto proposed taking the prince from the palace, so that he may live his own life, and fight against his father's tyranny, he did nothing. When the Soul King became enraged, and ordered for the prince to be found, he did nothing. He was a complacent being, but that complacency came at the price of the life and happiness of the prince, and, eventually, so many others.

And so, when he found two parents seeking his help, seeking save their child from his impending death, he found his thinking changing. The child had many futures in front of him. In many he did good for the world. In a few of them, he helped enact sweeping changes, and saved an uncountable number of lives. In others, he achieved nothing of great renown, being just as complacent as Mimihagi. In a horrifying few, he helped to ruin countless lives, and plunge the Soul Society deeper into tyranny. Yet none of these things would come to pass if he did not help the young boy. The god grew quiet, contemplating his options. Helping the boy would be a huge risk, that could save or damn billions. After a moment, he reached out to the young boy, and began to heal him, giving him the strength necessary to change the world. It would not be redemption, but perhaps it would be the beginning of penance.


End file.
